Favors
by iliveforthedays
Summary: The Doctor goes out of his way to prevent the inevitable and finds himself in the midst of a personal crisis. He may have to have the help of a few friends to get out of this one...
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is more like a prologue, just setting things up for the story. Next chapter is better, I promise. Also, this is my first fic, so be gentle. :)**

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who is the property of the BBC, and I'm not getting paid for this. **

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><p>She sat by the window, staring out at the stars and wondering what he could possibly be up to. He'd sent her a message on the psychic paper a few hours earlier, telling her to clear her schedule and wear something nice. She should refuse, no matter how much it would infuriate him. There was more to River Song than just waiting for the Doctor to whisk her away. She'd been pardoned and released from Stormcage, became a professor (she was giving 4 lectures a day), and signed on for an expedition to a library that was an entire planet. Not to mention lending her house to some of her students for a safe place to study and ask questions. She could hear them sitting in the living room laughing and quizzing each other. She pulled herself off of the window ledge and made her way down the hall to her students.<p>

"Sorry, kids. I'm afraid that you'll have to resume this party another day," she said, moving to stand behind one of the empty chairs in the room.

"Aww, really? We were just starting to have fun!" Jake, a tall boy with brown hair, said from his place on the floor. His eyes widened when he saw what she was wearing. "Doctor Song! You look rather spiffy! Do you have a date tonight?"

River chuckled. "That's a bit personal, I'm afraid."

"You totally have a date tonight," Miranda, River's favorite student, said. "It's him isn't it? It's the Doctor." River shrugged, trying to keep her best poker face, and Miranda squealed. "Can we meet him? Please?" A chorus of agreement and pleas erupted around the room. River hesitated, but rolled her eyes and gave in.

"Oh, all right." The students let out a sound of triumph. "But," River said, shaking a finger at no one, "you'll meet him as you're leaving. Gather your things. He'll be here any moment." She turned and walked out of the room, hoping that she wouldn't regret what she'd just done. She was walking towards the kitchen when she heard the distinct screeching coming from the street. She sighed and turned on her heels as he knocked on the door.

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><p>"How do I look, old girl?" He asked the TARDIS, who hummed softly in approval. He straightened his tuxedo jacket and picked up the bouquet of flowers that he'd made for River earlier. It had taken long enough for him to come to terms with the thought of picking her up for their last meeting, and he figured that he might as well go all out. He landed the TARDIS and walked to the door, hoping that he could hold himself together long enough to make it through the trip. Although he already knew that he wouldn't, and, like she'd told him all those years ago, he would cry. He would cry in front of her, probably hysterically. But it didn't matter. They knew each other well enough that he didn't have to be strong for her anymore. She was independent and beautiful, and she'd gotten him through some of the toughest things he'd ever been through. He walked across the street and knocked on the door.<p>

"Hello, Sweetie," River said. He heard chatter coming from the hall, and he tried not to crane his neck to see who was making it.

"Hello, River. These are for you." He handed her the flowers, admiring the way her face lit up as she looked at them.

"They're beautiful," she said as she pressed her nose into them. "Come in. I'll put these in some water. _You_ have admirers waiting." The Doctor raised an eyebrow and walked into the hall. "Doctor, these are my best students. They've been studying for finals." River went in search of a vase and left the Doctor to awkwardly make his way through all the introductions and questions that the young adults had waiting for him. Finally, they left, leaving him to recover himself before he walked to the kitchen.

"Look who made it out alive!" River joked. He crossed the kitchen in long, almost graceful, strides. River was impressed. It was almost like he was getting used to his body. She put the remaining flowers in the vase, and arranged them before placing them on the windowsill. He brushed her curly hair back from her shoulder with his long fingers.

"You're very lucky, Dr. Song."

"How's that?" she asked.

"To have such talented young people studying under you."

"Mm. They keep me on my toes," she admitted, meeting his gaze. His eyes were ages older than his body was, but now they held something darker. River couldn't put her finger on it, exactly. Guilt? Anxiety, even? There was definitely a bit of sadness, but he was masking it pretty well. "What's wrong?"

The Doctor gently traced the line of her bare collarbone, trying to concentrate on cheery things. He didn't want the evening to be ruined by his brooding. He reached out to River, who walked into his embrace. He buried his face in her hair and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her tighter to him. "I've missed you," he said into her hair. "I've missed you, River."

She kissed his neck softly, and she felt his hearts kick into overdrive. "I've missed you too, my love." She tried to subtly move back from him, but he held her even tighter. "What's wrong?" She asked again. "I'm sure you didn't make me dress up just so you could hug me in my kitchen. And if that's all you came for, this would be a lot more fun without our clothes on." Their bodies shook as he started laughing, and a smile spread across his face. He unwrapped his arms from around River's waist and took one of her hands, entwining their fingers. When they got to the TARDIS, he let go and did his usual quirky dance around the console, typing in coordinates and talking in sentences that seemed to run over each other. River sat in the chair next to the console, relieved that he was back to his normal self. She didn't know how much of The Doctor's emotional side that this version of him had ever let her see, but he seemed pretty comfortable about it back in the kitchen.

He stopped running around the console and turned to face her. He crossed his arms over his chest and stuck his bottom lip out, and he suddenly looked like a child. River rolled her eyes at the ridiculousness of it.

"What is it?" She sighed.

"Well, don't you want to know where we are going? You just let me waltz into your kitchen, and almost seduce you, and you don't bother to stop me once? No playing hard to get, no mindless flirting, no pulling out the handcuffs? River, River, River. Maybe I should ask _you_ what's wrong."

She ignored his question, and went for his ego instead. "You did _not_ seduce me."

"Oh, I didn't?" He walked over to where she was sitting and grabbed the rail behind her with both hands, his face hovering inches away from her ear. "Well then, maybe I should," he whispered before kissing her jaw and working his way down her neck. At first, he kissed her softly, but that wasn't enough. His teeth scraped gently across her skin, before he started biting her, flicking his tongue over the faint bite marks he left behind. He worked his way back up to her mouth, his tongue running across hers. While they fought for control of the kiss, she had to concentrate to keep her heart rates from giving her away, and she had to fight to suppress a moan. She didn't want to let him know that he was winning. He was melting her down to nothing. Once she was pretty sure she'd gotten herself together, they broke away from the kiss and she spoke.

"Where are we going?"

He straightened up and smiled mischievously, knowing that he had won, but she wasn't in the mood to completely give in. She wanted to slap the smug look off of his face, but she just sat there quietly and crossed her arms. He walked triumphantly over to the console and pressed a few more buttons, checking the scanner occasionally. This was what he'd been dreading for years: having to take her to this wonderful planet that would forever mean heartache and grief and guilt for him.

He knew that she'd always wanted to go. They had talked about it one night, sitting in the library of the TARDIS, while drinking hot chocolate and enjoying each other's company. Of course, they'd enjoyed a lot more that night, if he recalled correctly.

He figured that it was the least he could do for her, since he already knew that she would be forever trapped in the computer system of the library. One last fantastic trip.

"We're going to Darillium," he said, turning to look at her face. The beginnings of a smile danced around the edges of her mouth and a hint of gratitude flashed in her eyes. _Such a beautiful sight should never break a man's hearts_, he thought to himself. "Tonight, the Towers sing."


	2. Chapter 2

**The story really starts to pick up here. I'm going to shut up now.**

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC and I'm not getting paid for this.**

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><p>The door of the TARDIS swung open and River stepped out onto the red sand beneath. She gasped as the Towers came into view. They were brilliant amber structures that seemed to stretch upward for an eternity, isolated on an island several hundred feet from the shore. There were people and aliens alike spread across the beach, yet it was still very private. She heard the TARDIS dematerialize behind her as The Doctor wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed the side of her head tenderly. "Welcome to Darillium," he whispered in her ear.<p>

"This is amazing," she replied. He unfolded the blanket that he had tucked under his arm and spread it out on the ground. They sat down and he took her in his arms, holding her as close as possible, never wanting to let her go. He kissed her –not as urgently at before, but with the same amount of passion.

Then he heard the sound of a small throat being cleared behind him. He turned to see a little girl with light brown hair looking down at them and smiling like she'd been let in on some private joke. The girl couldn't have been more than seven years old. "Hello," he said.

"Hey." She said. "The Towers are about to sing, and you would have missed it if I hadn't stopped you. You can thank me later."

The Doctor turned and gave River a confused and amused look. "Yes. Quite right. Well then, now that you have my full, undivided attention, who are you?"

"I'm Claire," the little girl said matter-of-factly.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Claire. Where did you come from?" The Doctor looked behind her to see if he could find any adults that might be looking for her, or watching her, but no one seemed to pay attention to the girl.

She pointed behind her. "Down the beach."

"Do your parents know you're here? You didn't just run off by yourself, did you?"

"No. They sent me and my brother down for a walk. But I don't know where he went. So I decided to find you on my own."

"Find me? What did you need to find me for?" The Doctor was starting to get confused.

"My mom and dad said to tell you hello. 'From old friends.' I don't know how they know you, but they seem to like you a lot," Claire crossed her arms across her chest, looking pleased that she'd gotten the message out right.

_Old friends?_ Could it be? Could he actually have landed on an alternate Darillium and been so distracted with River that he didn't realize it? _No,_ he thought, _that's impossible._ Then again, he and the impossible had a pretty impressive track record….

"Claire," The Doctor began, "what's your last na-"

"Claire? Claire? Where are you?" a male voice called from about twenty feet behind them. Claire rolled her eyes and waved her hands above her head.

"Over here, you moron!"

He jogged into view. The man- no, he was still a teenager- had light, sandy blonde hair that was cropped short, but long enough to make out the waves that ran through it. He wore a form-fitting black t-shirt and blue jeans, his muscles clearly defined under the fabric. He took Claire by the hand and knelt down to look her in the eyes. "Are you okay?" She nodded. "We've got to go. The Towers are about to start singing. Mom wants us to be back soon." He glanced sideways and caught The Doctor's gaze. "Hello," the boy offered his hand to The Doctor, who shook it firmly.

"Hello, I'm The Doctor."

"Yeah, I know. It's nice to meet you," the boy said, smiling up at Claire. "You found him. Good job."

"Sorry," The Doctor started, "but I didn't catch your name."

The boy looked back to The Doctor and opened his mouth to answer him, but was stopped by the sound of music filling the air. "Sorry," he said, standing up and picking Claire up piggy-back style, "but we have to go." The boy turned and ran down the beach, Claire laughing as she bounced up and down with every step he took.

"That was weird." The Doctor shook his head and turned back to River, who had waited patiently while he was dealing with his newest fans. "Now, where were we?" He smiled and she leaned in to his kiss, which started as a light brushing of lips then deepened into a frantic battle of tongues. "I love you," he whispered, gasping for breath between kisses and tears. He leaned his forehead against hers and they sat there, panting and listening to the music. Tears streamed down his face, and she brushed them away with her fingers.

"Shh, Doctor. You don't have to cry. I'm here." She kissed him, but he pulled away from her gently. He pulled his knees up and buried his face in his arms, his hearts shattering in his chest. He felt her hand rubbing comforting circles against his back, and he heard the TARDIS materialize behind him. He wiped his eyes and stood to help River up before picking up the blanket and shaking it out. They walked into the TARDIS and River took them to the vortex, wanting to get things sorted out with The Doctor before he could take her home.

As quick as she turned around, he was there, kissing her again.

"I owe you an apology, Dr. Song. In advance. You'll know what it is when it happens. But for now, it doesn't matter." He kissed the corner of her mouth before moving to kiss the line of her jaw. He led her by the hand down one of the hallways off of the main console room. They stopped in front of one of the doors, which he pushed open with his hip as he took her face in his hands and kissed her. They walked into the room and the door swung shut behind them as they collapsed onto the bed.

xxx

When she woke up, his eyes were bloodshot. She'd fallen asleep in his arms, but he laid there and let the tears flow freely. Without speaking a word, they climbed out of bed and gathered their clothes, both reluctantly getting dressed. He threw the tuxedo into an empty chair and chose his usual tweed/bow tie combo. Once he was dressed, he walked to the console alone, typing in the coordinates for her house, the night they left. He then collapsed onto the chair, inspecting the screwdriver he'd fashioned from what he could remember of the one that River had shown him in the library. He'd added everything she said that it would have, and made sure that it would work the way that she would need it to. It was the last gift he could give River.

She walked up the stairs to the console and sat down beside him. "I love you," she said.

"I love you more."

"I doubt that," she laughed. He let himself chuckle a bit, but not much.

"I want you to have this," he said as he held the sonic screwdriver out to her. "You're part time-lord. You could use a sonic."

She took it from his hands, at a loss for words. She managed a quiet "Thank You," before he took her hand and they walked to the doors.

She kissed him, and then reached out to hug him. He held her tight, not willing to let her go, but knowing that he had to sometime. Finally, he loosened his grip and took both of her hands in his. "Please, River. Know that I really do love you. And, I'm sorry." She smiled, though she was confused.

"I know, my love. Until next time." She walked through the door and he stretched his arm out until her hand slipped out of his.

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><p>He pulled a lever on the console, sending the TARDIS into the vortex. He didn't bother typing in a destination. There was nowhere he wanted to see if he couldn't have River beside him. He threw the TARDIS into neutral and sulked down the hallway that led to his bedroom. When he reached the door to his own library, he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the lock until he heard it click into place. "I'm sorry," he whispered to no one. He turned and continued down the hallway, until he reached the bedroom. His hand lingered on the knob, knowing that she wouldn't be on the other side ever again. As he pushed the door open, the darkness started to envelop him. Anger welled up and formed hot tears in his eyes. Acting out of rage and regret, he slammed the door and sank to the floor in front of it. <em>I let her go, <em>he thought to himself. _ I started to have stupid, human, emotions and desires. I loved her, and I let her walk straight to her death. I'm no better than any ape. _Tears began streaming down his face and his body convulsed as he cried. He laid there for what seemed like hours, unable to hold himself together any longer.

Finally, he regained himself enough to walk over to the bed. He unlaced his boots and kicked them to the floor before shedding his tweed jacket and climbing in between the sheets. He didn't even bother with the rest of his clothes. It wasn't like he would actually sleep, anyway. He stared at the ceiling for a second before rolling over to face the wall, trying to put the thought out of his mind that River's side of the bed was empty. He let his eyes slide shut, but his mind was far too active for sleep. He remembered how young and impressionable she had been at the hands of the Silence. How Madame Kovarian had stolen her from right under his nose, even before he even understood who she was. That day, he recalled, he'd been more incredibly stupid than he could ever remember being. He thought he'd had all of it worked out, then, just when he thought he was winning, he'd lost. He'd lost the most important thing, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Then came the searching. All of those sleepless nights, huddled over the console -searching maps and books and whatever else he could get his hands on- looking for Melody Pond. He'd made River take Amy and Rory home. He expected that they had _loads _to talk about, even though he knew if they asked anything about their future, she'd meet them with the infuriating answer of, "Spoilers." But the Ponds would take it better than he did. They were human, and used to living their lives in the same order. He, however, couldn't take all the uncertainty. He'd searched every place he could think of over the course of three months. And then she found him.

He should have recognized how feisty she was and connected it with her name. But he didn't, because sometimes he missed the obvious. Especially when he was busy accidentally saving war criminals like Hitler. When she regenerated in Berlin, she was still young. Young, brainwashed, and naïve. And still incredibly beautiful. She'd killed him, yes. But he knew exactly what to say to her to let her know what she meant to him. And what he meant to her-well, what he would mean to her. So she'd saved him. A debt he realized he'd already repaid.

He rolled over and buried his face in a pillow, trying not to think about how cruel time travel was sometimes. Beginning to feel sick to his stomach, he kicked the sheets off and walked across the dark room to the bathroom. He slipped out of his clothes and started the water in the shower, giving it time to heat up before he stepped under it. As the water fell around him, he mentally kicked himself for mentally kicking himself.

"There's nothing you can do about it," he said to himself, running his fingers through his hair. "It has to happen. It always has. She's the reason you're alive, you daft old man. You've done all you can." Or had he?

He twisted the water off and wrapped a towel around himself until he could find a pair of trousers and a shirt. He ran to the console and picked up the phone, a crazy idea blossoming in his head. He had no idea if it would work, but it was worth a shot.

"Hello!" he said into the receiver. "It's The Doctor. I'm going to need some help."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. It is the property of the BBC and this is for entertainment purposes only. :)**

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><p>She drew back and thrust her fist at his face with all her might. He collapsed against the glass with a loud <em>thud<em>, and she dragged him to the nearest pole, where she cuffed him by the wrist. She only had a little while before he came around, so she wasted no time. She looked at the computer screen, processing the information as quickly as she could so he couldn't stop her. Shaking, she set the auto-destruct feature for 10 minutes and got to work wiring things together for the download. She'd just started on the headset when a flash of white light filled the room and The Doctor spun into view.

"…. Careful! Blimey! That gets worse every time I- oh! Hello, River!" he said, looking pleased with himself. She glared at him incredulously.

"What the hell are you doing here? You can't be here; you'll create a paradox and rip another hole in the universe. He's about to wake up. Get out of here, Doctor!"

"Well, it's nice to see you, too, honey," he retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He'd come to save her, and she was being a bit ungrateful.

"Doctor, I mean it. You've known all along that I was coming here. This has to happen. This is a fixed point in time."

"Fixed points can be rewritten," he joked solemnly.

"No, they can't. Of course they can't."

"Except we've done it before," he said through gritted teeth. He was standing less than a foot away from her, hoping that his back up would arrive sooner than later.

"Yeah, with a shape-shifting robot. But you don't have many more of those lying around, do you? Besides, it wouldn't have the memory capacity to serve the core, anyway!"

"River, just listen to me."

"Doctor, I have to die. This has to happen. Otherwise, you'll kill yourself and I'll have never met you."

"River, I can't let you die." He pressed a finger to her lips. "I think you know what comes next. It's selfish, I know. But it doesn't have to end like this."

"And how do you think you're going to save me? And all those people- Doctor, in case you've forgotten, Donna is still in there. I have to do this." Another flash of white light filled the room. She closed her eyes, only to open them to, well, to herself. Her jaw fell open as The Doctor stepped back and joined the River that had just appeared.

"River, meet River."

"What have you done?" she breathed.

He laid his hand on the duplicate's shoulder. "This is a flesh copy of you. She has your memories, your thoughts, your personality, and your memory space."

"That's impossible," River said.

"And did I mention it's a bit cliché? But it's the best I could come up with on short notice."

The duplicate stepped forward to look River in the eye. "I know it's hard to believe, but it's real. I was born Melody Pond. Parents: Amy Pond and Rory Williams. Raised by the Silence, trained to kill the Doctor. Yes, I know that I could have studied that anywhere. But in Berlin, half an hour after you kissed him for the first time, he was dying. He said that no one could save him. But he lied. He whispered in your ear, a message for River Song. You didn't know who you were then."

River looked into her own eyes, reliving those moments even though they were hazy. She still wasn't totally convinced that this person was her. "What did he say? If you're really me, you've never forgotten those words that he said that day. So, what was it?" The ganger leaned forward and whispered in her ear. Her eyes widened. She couldn't believe it. She looked at The Doctor, who mouthed, "Do you trust me?" River nodded, unable to find words.

"Right, then, we don't have much time," The Doctor said, sauntering forward and taking both Rivers by the hand. "She's going to take your place."

"And you're okay with this?" River asked the ganger.

"He's got a plan. I'll be fine."

"River, give her the suit. We've got to make it seem as real as possible. He won't know the difference," he said, looking at the slumped form of his tenth regeneration. "Poor man. This is going to hurt."

"_Auto-destruct in five minutes_."

"Hurry, River!" The Doctor ran over to the computer and hacked into the system. "I can only give you three more minutes. Now you have eight," he said, typing furiously. River shimmied out of the suit and held it out to the ganger, who took it and started to put it on.

"Is that how other people see me?" Ganger River said as she wriggled into the suit.

River laughed. "I believe I've been called 'irresistible.'"

"I know," the ganger replied, pulling her curly hair out of the collar of the suit.

"Could you two stop flirting? I mean, I like to flirt with you as much as the next person, but there's a time and a place. And right now isn't it."

They both rolled their eyes and the ganger pulled her hair back into a ponytail before taking her seat in the chair. The Doctor bent down and picked up River's sonic screwdriver before reaching into the pocket of his tweed jacket and pulling out a communicator like the one fashioned into the spacesuit that River wore.

"How did you get that?" River asked when she saw what he had in his hand.

"Ripped it off the helmet in the trailer at the Byzantium. Thought it might come in handy one day. Got a bit nostalgic, honestly. Anyway, I have to download your –well, your ganger's- consciousness onto this communicator and plug it into this screwdriver. It's how I –he- saves you. Timey-wimey. Hold on," he said, turning to Ganger River, "this shouldn't hurt. Then again, I've never had to do this before."

"You have about five minutes left, Doctor!" River called from behind him. "I'm sorry. I really am," she whispered before he heard the distinct sound of skin-on-skin. He didn't have to look back to guess that she must have punched his younger self to knock him out again. She was back at his side a few moments later.

"You enjoyed that too much," he growled, sliding the screwdriver shut over the communicator. He placed it on her diary, beside his old one.

"_Auto-destruct in four minutes_."

"I've only got two minutes until he wakes up. River, use the vortex manipulator and go to the TARDIS. I'll be right behind you, I promise." He held the black bracelet that her duplicate had used out to her. Without arguing, she took it from him and strapped it on her wrist. A few seconds later, she was gone.

He walked over to the chair where River's ganger was sitting. Out of habit, he pulled out his screwdriver and scanned her, but he didn't read it. He simply shoved it back into his pocket and lifted her chin so he was looking in her eyes. "These next few minutes aren't going to be very pleasant, I'm afraid."

"What exactly happens?"

"He'll wake up in a couple of minutes and try to talk you out of it. You'll know what to say, don't worry. Although, I should mention that he doesn't know that this has happened. As far as he's concerned, our last meeting was Darillium. At the end of the countdown, you plug this headset into that computer, and it downloads your memory space. It burns you up. You can't physically survive it. But he'll figure it out soon enough. I've put your consciousness into the screwdriver. He'll plug it into the data core of the computer, and it'll save you. You'll have friends, a job, a family." He scratched the back of his head and mentally added, "I hope."

"But I won't have you," she stated. The words pierced him like knives.

"I don't… I'm not sure, River. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." She picked up the headset and started twisting wires together.

"You're lying," he accused.

"Of course I am. Have to."

"You're going to kill me for this," he said out loud, rubbing his forehead.

"For what?"

He kissed her, holding her face in between his hands. It was shorter than she would have liked, but considering the circumstances, she couldn't have asked for more. "Oh," she gasped when he broke away, "yes I am."

He stepped back and typed coordinates on the vortex manipulator. "Goodbye, River." A flash of white light, and he was gone.

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><p>She'd already landed the TARDIS on her street when he got back. A sharp slap across the face awaited him, like he'd expected. He popped his neck. "Okay. I deserved that one."<p>

She turned back to the scanner. "Thank you. Even though it was stupid and extremely selfish of you. I owe you my life, again."

"I think we're even," he said, pulling her blue diary from his pocket. "Our timelines are moving in the same direction now." He laid the diary next to her hand, which she used to prop herself up on the console. "No more spoilers."

River laughed. "Guess this means I have to find a new catchphrase." The Doctor smiled before wrapping her in a hug. "You can read the diary, if you'd like."

"I don't need to, now. I have one of my own, remember?"

"Of course I remember."

"Well, since our lives have fixed themselves, you can come with me. The Doctor and Professor River Song, running amongst the stars. We could be the greatest things since, well, since me." She stepped back half a foot, smiling fondly.

"I have a class to teach in the morning," she protested.

"The morning's a long time away," he murmured. "Time machine." He patted the console.

"I owe it to them. To those kids. I've grown quite fond of them, actually."

"What? No stars, no planets? You just want to stay on earth and live like a … _human?_" His brow furrowed as he tried to understand what could have possibly possessed her to make her say something like that.

River turned away from him. "You were gone, and I established myself. I guess that's what being part human does to you." She walked away from him, headed towards the doors of the TARDIS. Without thinking about it, he followed her. He didn't exactly know why, but, he figured since he was being uncharacteristically clingy, he might as well. They walked out into the street, arm-in-arm. While she was unlocking the door, The Doctor looked around. It was a quiet night, but someone out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Standing down the road, hands in his pockets and staring at them intently, was the blonde boy that The Doctor had met on the beach. The Doctor raised a hand to wave at him. The boy nodded in return and gave him a smile before turning on his heels and walking away from them.

The Doctor shook his head and stopped River before she stepped through the door. "Everything you are is my fault."

"Stop talking like that. You know it isn't."

"But it is. You're half Time Lord because of me. Because I couldn't tell Amy and Rory to stay home. And your childhood, I took that from you as well."

"I don't care. Our paths crossed, we got married, and I still love you. I just don't want to travel right now." She turned her face away from him. _She's hiding something, _he thought. _She's always hiding something._

"Okay," he said, knowing that he wouldn't get very far in arguing with her.

River held her hand out to him, and he took it. He tried to read her expression, looking for something other than the love that was always there. When he came up empty, he mentally shrugged and followed her into the house, accepting her invitation before he ran off to the stars again.

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><p>He leaned up against the console, trying to catch his breath. He'd never run away faster from something than the giant phoenix that had just come swooping down at him. <em>Some planets should really rethink their security system,<em> he thought. The psychic paper burned in his pocket. He pulled it out and the letters appeared angrily.

10/26/2013 323 Randolph Ave. GO. NOW.

Not even her usual 'X.'


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Reviews are always welcome! **

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><p>The door of the TARDIS swung open and The Doctor poked his head out and looked around. The street looked familiar enough, but he had to find the nearest street sign to be sure that he'd landed in the right place. When he saw "Randolph Avenue," he closed the door behind him and headed off in the direction of River's house. The thought of facing his seemingly angry wife scared him, more so than any Dalek or Cyberman. He realized he was walking slower than normal, hands shoved deep in his pockets, looking down at the ground. To anyone else, he probably looked like a sulking puppy.<p>

"Oi!" A very Scottish, very familiar voice called from the other side of the street. "We're over here!" The Doctor turned to see Amy and Rory waving at him. He waved and rushed over to where they were standing.

"Ponds! The glorious Ponds! Look at you!" He wrapped them both in a hug. "How did you get here?" he asked. They were confused.

"You dropped us off, remember? You told us that you'd be right back." Rory awkwardly patted The Doctor's back.

"Ah." He stepped back, still grinning like an idiot. "That would explain why you two are so _old_. Hasn't happened for me yet. Anyway, we're here because River sent me a message on the psychic paper. Future me knows that -for whatever reason- she needs you here, too. Thus, here we are. Headed off to find a River that is most likely very cross. This should be fun," he muttered before turning to walk farther along the sidewalk. After a few moments, The Doctor spun on his heels to look at the teenager that was following behind them.

"Hello," The Doctor said to the orange-haired teen.

"Hello," he said back. "I'm-" he was cut short as a wail of pain loud enough to be heard outside came from the house they stood in front of.

"River!" The Doctor said as he ran up the steps and soniced the door open. He ran into the house frantically. "River?" He rounded the corner to the sitting room, Amy and Rory on his heels. The sight that awaited them made The Doctor's stomach lurch.

River was lying on the couch, one hand gripping the back of it in pain, the other hand holding her bulging stomach. She grimaced, obviously deep into labor. Amy rushed around to her. The Doctor felt his knees go weak, but he was frozen in place. Rory joined Amy at River's side, and the boy looked around the house, uninterested. "This is impossible," The Doctor said, staring at River. Her eyes met his, the pain in them almost unbearable. "I'm so sorry," he said.

"Doctor, we've got to get her to the nearest hospital. She's been in labor for quite a long time," Amy said, brushing River's hair out of her face.

"We can't take her to a hospital! If they see she has two hearts, they'll dissect her faster than we can say 'oops.' Regular hospital is not an option." He scratched his head, trying to hold on to his sanity- and consciousness.

"Then what are we going to do?" Amy asked. "She can't just have the baby here!"

The Doctor bit his lip and rubbed his forehead, trying to force himself to move. After an internal war, he took a deep breath and scooped River off of the couch, cradling her against his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. "We'll have to take her to the TARDIS. There's a medical bay on board. It's the best I can do right now." The Doctor walked down the steps, and then sped up into a gentle jog, trying not to jar River too much. He felt her tears soak through the fabric of his shirt. "Hang on, River. You're going to be okay. Just hang on."

"Hurry!" she yelled, the sound muffled.

"I'm trying!" He gritted his teeth. The last thing he wanted right now was to be arguing with her. She was in no state, no matter how stubborn she was.

Amy and Rory followed him. Once they'd reached the medical bay, Rory helped The Doctor get River onto the bed. The Doctor stepped back, not entirely sure what to do next. Rory rushed past him, going for the I.V. supplies piled on one of the counters. The Doctor had almost completely forgotten about Rory's medical background.

"Is he a doctor now?"

Amy nodded. The orange haired boy moved to help Rory. He grabbed the heart monitor and started plugging it up.

"It's going to be a little different than normal," Rory told him, "because she's part Time Lord. We're going to need another set of pads. If you look, there are two inlets."

"Right," the boy said. The Doctor stepped beside Rory, who was fast at work trying to get the I.V. into River.

"Can I help?" The Doctor asked.

"Sorry, but you're a bit clumsy, Doctor. Amy, we're going to have to get her into a gown."

The Doctor was about to make a comment about how he was an expert at getting River out of her clothes, but this wasn't exactly the time. He paced behind Rory and Amy, glancing over every once in a while to see if River was okay. Every time she groaned he bit down on his knuckle a little harder.

"This is my fault. This is all my fault," the Doctor said.

"Yeah, thanks, Captain Obvious," Amy shot him a glare over her shoulder. No doubt, she was probably going to kill him once all of this was over.

"Okay, River, you're going to have to push soon," Rory said, pulling The Doctor and Amy both out of the awkward tension. The Doctor walked over to River's side and offered her his hand. She took it and met his gaze. Words seemed irrelevant for the both of them, but their eyes conveyed a whole universe of conversation and emotion. "Okay," Rory sighed, "you can do this." The Doctor wasn't sure if Rory was talking to himself or to River. Maybe a bit of both.

River squeezed his hand, at times almost crushing it. He felt helpless. The only thing he could do was watch as the tears streamed down her face and her screams filled the air. "I HATE YOU!" She yelled. A strange wave of relief crashed over The Doctor. She wasn't totally gone: his River was behind that pain and struggle, somewhere.

"I know," he said, "I know." He buried his face in the bend of his arm, taking several deep breaths.

"You're almost there, River. Keep pushing!" Rory encouraged. The Doctor felt her squeeze his hand one more agonizing time, then he heard his child's first cries. River let her head fall back on the pillow, and her eyes slid shut, silent tears still rolling down her cheeks. Rory handed the baby to Amy, who wrapped it in a blanket before holding it out to The Doctor. He hesitated at first, all the awkwardness flooding back into him. He took the child from Amy, pressing his lips into a light smile.

"Hello," he said softly. "I'm The-" he stopped, realizing who he was talking to. "I'm your dad." He paused for a moment, listening. "No, the one on the bed is mum. The red one is grandmum," he grinned at Amy, but his expression fell as soon as he saw the look on her face. "The one over there is granddad, and the red boy is… um…"

"Uncle Vincent."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "You named him _Vincent?_"

"Shut up," Amy snapped. "You have someone to worry about naming, yourself."

"Right. Well, little person, what do you want to be called?" Amy and Rory had to stifle laughs when they saw Vincent's face. He had been watching River intently, and didn't expect the man to actually talk to the baby, and expect an answer in return. But that's exactly what he was doing.

"Right. I forgot. I'm sorry. Well, you're a boy, so little boy names... Well, there's Charlie, or James. Then you have names that people I know have: Jack, Mickey, and Rory. And there are names like Garrett or Caden or- What's that? Caden? Yes, it's a good name. Bit human, but considering the circumstances, it's fine. Okay. Hello, Caden."

"Dad, her heart, er- hearts," Vincent was beside the monitor, which was slowing down. River's hearts were giving out. The Doctor handed Caden to Amy before running out and down the hall to the control room. He ignored the shouts that they issued after him. When he reached the console, he typed the coordinates in for the only hospital that he knew would take River without question. Once the TARDIS was en route, he ran back to the medical bay.

"We've got to get her out of here," he said, pulling out his sonic but feeling useless.

"Where are we?" Amy asked.

"Sisters of the Infinite Schism." Without another word, Rory and The Doctor pushed the bed through the door, Vincent following with the I.V. and heart monitor.

"Doctor, I don't know if she can withstand the transport," Rory said, trying to do chest compressions. He struggled as they moved towards the control room, not knowing if regular CPR would even work.

"This is the best hospital in the universe, and River is a lot stronger than any of us – okay, than _I _- give her credit for."

"This isn't the safest way to do this, though!"

"I DON'T CARE!" The Doctor roared. "I AM SICK OF PEOPLE DYING! I'M NOT LOSING ANYBODY ELSE! ESPECIALLY NOT HER!" He took a moment to compose himself before he spoke again. "Through those doors, they can help her. _I _can help her. I just have to… Oh, never mind. Let's just get her to the emergency room." They walked out of the TARDIS, into the middle of a chaotic hospital. After several vain attempts to get many nurses' attention, the heart monitor had slowed to an agonizing pace, on the verge of flat lining. The Doctor balled his fists in frustration, resisting the urge to punch the closest possible being.

He shifted to River's side, stretching his fingers out and popping his neck. _Calm down, _he told himself, the voice inside his head sounding more like River's than his own. _The last thing you need is to be angry. Stay calm._ He cradled her face between his hands, energy surging from his hearts to every surface of his body. He redirected all he could to his hands. "River, please. We need you." He pressed his forehead against hers, trying to concentrate on what he was about to do. _One spark, that's all we need. _ His own words had never rang truer. He pressed his lips to hers, letting the energy flow freely into her. _I love you,_ he told her, and everything went black.


	5. Chapter 5

_The sun was warm on his skin. He lay there - he couldn't be sure how long – with his eyes closed, running a blade of grass between his index and middle fingers. The wind blew softly around him, playfully mussing his hair. Voices drifted to him from somewhere far away. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but he recognized laughter, pain, and something else in their voices._

_ 'Okay. I must be dead,' he thought. 'Death. That's new. Well, not really, but we'll go with that.' He reached for his sonic, but it wasn't there. Neither was his tweed jacket. 'Of course not. Silly me.' He opened his eyes, expecting to be blinded by the sun, and surprised when he wasn't. The trees rose above his head, and he sat up to discover that he had been lying at the edge of an empty field. For a brief moment, he wondered if he was in heaven. If there was such a place. But he knew that, after all he'd done, there was no way he'd be accepted in heaven. That was a place for people who didn't lie, cheat, or kill. And he'd killed more people and races than anyone he'd ever known. _

_ He stretched his arms out, bending his fingers and wrists, to make sure they worked. One of the sleeves of his white button-down shirt had started to come unrolled, so he rolled it back up, stopping just below his elbow. After twisting his torso left and right a couple of times, he bent his knees. 'Blue jeans? Really?' He sighed and ran his fingers over his face, then back into his hair. He'd obviously not changed forms. He was definitely still in his eleventh regeneration. Taking that into account, he cautiously rose to his feet. It was easier than he'd expected. Apparently, he was a lot more graceful in death than he had been when he was alive. He walked forward, trying to follow the voices. This was difficult. He could never pinpoint the exact location of where they were coming. _

_ As he walked, a faint movement caught his attention. He glanced sideways, gasping. 'No.' She smiled at him, and he couldn't help but think she looked like an absolute goddess in her flowing white dress. 'No,' he repeated, 'you can't be here.' She didn't say anything. She just fell into step beside him. They walked until the voices he'd been hearing grew louder and louder, and they were all coming from one direction. He turned to face her, but she was gone. She was nowhere to be found. _

_ He began to make out what some of the voices were saying, but one stuck out in particular. _

_ 'I guess that's what being part human does to you.'_

_ He thought about that night. She'd refused to travel with him, even though he begged and begged. She had been hiding something from him, something that he wasn't even aware of yet. She must have known that she was pregnant. That had to be it. She was pregnant when she went to the library. 'Human.' That word kept floating around in the air around him. He always forgot that no matter how much River was like him, she was still human. _

_ He would never forget what happened that night. What she said, how she held her hand out to him and wordlessly invited him into her home, the way she wrapped her legs around his waist, and how she felt under his fingertips. That night, as he had wrapped his arms around her and whispered her name in his language over and over in her ear, he had wanted to stay. For just a moment, he wished that he had never even mentioned running off again. He should have known that, at one time or another, she would have wanted to settle down for a little bit. And what better time to settle down than when you're going to have a child? 'Our paths crossed, we got married, and I still love you. I just don't want to travel right now.' He'd cringed at the look on her face when she'd said that. There was a certain subtext running under her words that had bothered him, but he'd put away until now. The way that she'd only briefly mentioned their marriage. Sure, he was a traveler. He was someone that nobody had expected to get _married_. But he was old, and he had lived a long time. He'd had a wife before. Before the Time War, before he ran away. He had a wife and a child, who were both Gallifreyan as well. This time, with River, he didn't see it as any different. Yeah, he had married her in a timeline that never happened, but they both remembered it, so what was the difference?_

_ The difference was that everyone she knew always questioned her. She didn't have a ring, there was a man constantly coming in and out of her house, and now there was a seemingly illegitimate child about. To any other human, she probably looked like some kind of prostitute or something. But this wasn't just anybody. This was River Song, and she didn't care what anybody thought about her. Or, did she?_

_ He shook his head. There was too much going on around him. His brain was swirling with guilt and anger, and the voices around him were growing louder and louder. 'Human.' The word was sticking out and slamming into him harder than any other. 'Human. Human. Human.'_

_ If this was what death was like, he wanted no part in it._

* * *

><p>"Is he going to be alright?" A voice came from somewhere beside him.<p>

"He wasn't completely ready for the transfer. But his heart and brain activity are normal. He should wake up any time," A voice from his other side replied.

"And what about her?"

"It's going to take a little longer for her to recover. She should be fine, though. If you need anything else, just let me know."

"Thank you, doctor."

He didn't know if he wanted to open his eyes or not. The last time he did, he'd paid for it. The smell of antiseptic clung to him and seeped in through his nostrils, and he could hear beeping of heart monitors in four fold. He wasn't alone. Even more, River was alive. Or they were both absolutely dead, and this was their version of hell.

"What did he say?" Rory asked, his voice getting closer.

"He should wake up any time. She's going to need longer to recover, though. Look at that pair," Amy sighed. "Who would have guessed they would have ever settled down?"

"They aren't settled," Rory pointed out. "He had just shown up in the TARDIS when we got there."

"You know what I meant. Just look at this. His eyes-they're TARDIS blue."

"What else would you have expected?" Rory sighed, his voice fading out of the room again.

He decided that he wasn't in hell. He was most certainly alive, his best friends and in-laws sitting watch over him and his wife, and taking care of their child.

Caden started crying, softly at first, but then his cries grew louder. The Doctor heard Amy shush him softly, and he assumed that she was rocking him back and forth. This was as good a time as any to wake up, he decided. His eyes fluttered open. He had to blink a couple of times for them to adjust. The small hospital room wasn't very bright. Amy and Rory had kept the lighting down on purpose, which he was grateful for. He stared up at the ceiling, listening as the baby's protests grumbled on.

"He's tired," The Doctor mumbled.

"What?" Amy gasped.

"He's trying to tell you that he's tired. Give him here," The Doctor said, a little louder. Amy stood and walked towards him. He examined himself again, moving his toes, legs, and fingers. He felt something in his left hand, restricting his movements. One glance told him that it was River's fingers. They had put River beside him and lowered the safety rails on the sides where the two beds came together. He must have reached over and grabbed her hand when he was dreaming. Amy was soon by his bedside, and she placed Caden between The Doctor's chest and his right arm. He cradled the baby, whose cries had grown quieter and were on the verge of stopping as his eyelids grew heavy with the threat of sleep. Amy had been right. This child's eyes were the bluest shade of blue that The Doctor had ever known.

The Doctor brought River's hand up and gently pressed a kiss to the back of it. No one was sure how long she would be unconscious, but he hoped it wouldn't be for long.

"He just wants to sleep." The baby had already started to nestle into his chest and drift off. "There you go, little one." He kissed his forehead lightly. "How long was I out?" He asked, his voice only a whisper so as to not wake Caden.

"Three days," Amy replied, pushing his hair up out of his eyes. He cringed at the stinging that ripped across his forehead.

"Three _days_? Ow! You mean to tell me that I've been laying here, asleep, no sonic, no TARDIS, no big, bad, aliens to stop from killing the human race for_ three days_?"

"You almost died. Like, beyond regeneration. I think the humans will be fine on their own, for once. You really need to rest."

"What happened?"

"River's hearts were practically stopped. You almost did what she did for you all those years ago. You almost gave up all your regenerations. But you weren't completely ready," she said, looking away from him.

"She was dead, Amy." The words stung both of them, but they were true. "I couldn't just stand there and do nothing. There's no way I could raise this baby by myself. I wouldn't even know where to start. And the TARDIS is no place to raise a child, not really. But then again, I turned out okay, I think, and I practically had the vortex in my back yard. I suppose it could be done. Oh, God. I have a child." The Doctor looked from the baby to Amy, his eyes wide with both wonder and horror. Amy stifled a laugh. In that moment, he'd looked no more than 9 years old himself.

"Oh, shut up, you idiot."

"Did I – did I change? Do I look any different?" He found Amy's eyes. "Am I ginger?" he asked, hopefully.

She raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "You're still the bow-tie-wearing-idiot, without the bow tie."

He brought his hand up to feel at his neck. The familiar apparel wasn't there. His fingers touched bare skin. "Naked and not ginger. No, wait. I'm still wearing trousers."

"You hit your head pretty hard," she joked, but let it go.

"Where's Rory? I thought I heard him earlier," he said, his eyes darting around the room. Rory was nowhere to be seen.

"He went to take a shower, on the TARDIS. They conveniently gave you two the room directly across where you managed to land her. Not your most skillful landing, mind you, but it was okay."

"Yeah, well, under the circumstances, I did the best I could." He didn't make an effort to mask the sarcasm in his tone. He'd be bitter about that for a while, he thought.

"I know. Thank you, for trying."

"Amy, I promised you that on my life, your daughter would be safe. I've saved her from death once, not that this is the conversation you want to be having right now. I was not about to let her slip away, after I'd only just got her back." Amy was silent, but pressed her lips into a tight smile. It was getting harder for The Doctor to keep his eyes open. The sedative was working its way back into his system.

"Get some rest." She patted his hand and walked towards the door, her orange hair disappearing just as he slid his eyes closed and took River's hand, then gently wrapped one of his his arms around their little boy.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hi! Sorry it took so long to update, again. Yes, I realize that this is highly out of character for The Doctor. I have a rhyme and reason.. ;) Anyway, there will definitely be a few more chapters. How many, I'm not sure yet. <strong>  
><strong>Reviews keep me writing! <strong>


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